Getting started with coal
-
- New Member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed. Jan. 16, 2019 6:22 am
- Location: waupun wi
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Heatmaster 10000E
Hey guys, new to the coal burning world. Been burning slab wood in my out door wood boiler the last 2 years. I have a Heatmaster 10000E. Has shaker grates in the bottom. Its designed to burn wood or coal. I have 2 locations near me here in WI where i can get coal. I can get anthracite or bituminus. I need to know what one i should be using and what size first off. i know from the first place i can get rice, nut, stove anthracite or Stoker coal sized 1 1/2" to 3" bituminus. the second location i have to call them and see what they had but i remember it was bigger pieces (maybe 3"-6" pieces).
- Sunny Boy
- Member
- Posts: 25756
- Joined: Mon. Nov. 11, 2013 1:40 pm
- Location: Central NY
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: Anthracite Industrial, domestic hot water heater
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood range 208, # 6 base heater, 2 Modern Oak 118.
- Coal Size/Type: Nuts !
- Other Heating: Oil &electric plenum furnace
Welcome SD,
For a beginner, the larger sizes of coal are easier to learn on. The larger air spaces between larger pieces help the firebed start easier, breath better, and respond faster to damper changes. As you learn how your stove and chimney system respond to coal you can experiment with smaller sizes.
Coal has a much bigger learning curve than wood. I suggest doing a lot of reading before you jump into using it. Here's a list of topics to help you, from the first threads up in the "Hand Fired Coal Stoves" section.
Popular Hand Fired Coal Stove Topics
Paul
For a beginner, the larger sizes of coal are easier to learn on. The larger air spaces between larger pieces help the firebed start easier, breath better, and respond faster to damper changes. As you learn how your stove and chimney system respond to coal you can experiment with smaller sizes.
Coal has a much bigger learning curve than wood. I suggest doing a lot of reading before you jump into using it. Here's a list of topics to help you, from the first threads up in the "Hand Fired Coal Stoves" section.
Popular Hand Fired Coal Stove Topics
Paul
-
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 11417
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Your boiler's fire box is sized for wood. With coal, if you load the fire box to proper depth, you will have many times the potential heat compared to wood. It will tend to overfire or starve and go out.
Reducing the fire box by one third to one half will give much better results. Anthracite will burn clean without the smell, smoke, and soot of bit coal.
I would suggest starting off by just adding coal to an established wood fire and experiment with adding more.
Reducing the fire box by one third to one half will give much better results. Anthracite will burn clean without the smell, smoke, and soot of bit coal.
I would suggest starting off by just adding coal to an established wood fire and experiment with adding more.
Franco B :
Why do people say bituminous coal smokes when it burns ??
With proper equipment it burns like other coal , of course there
are differences in how you tend a fire.
I make very little smoke and have burned many different coals , all
you have to do is get a procedure down with a proper burner . The
smell is harder to get rid of completely but with proper combustion
even that can be mitigated. Burns with a blue flame just like any other
coal.
BigBarney
Why do people say bituminous coal smokes when it burns ??
With proper equipment it burns like other coal , of course there
are differences in how you tend a fire.
I make very little smoke and have burned many different coals , all
you have to do is get a procedure down with a proper burner . The
smell is harder to get rid of completely but with proper combustion
even that can be mitigated. Burns with a blue flame just like any other
coal.
BigBarney
- ASea
- Member
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu. Nov. 27, 2014 8:55 pm
- Location: Athol Massachusetts
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Kast Console II
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Coal Chubby
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114, Glenwood 30 "Estate" Warm Morning 120
- Coal Size/Type: Sherman Anthracite Nut/Stove from C&T Coal
- Other Heating: Peerless Boiler with Cast Iron Baseboards
I'm looking at the Heatmaster Units. the idea of an outdoor boiler intrigues me. If I had Bit available I'd probably use that because it's cheap. I have anthracite, so I'd use stove size. the nice thing about these boilers is you can use pine or what ever other wood you have available.
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
How big is one ton pile of pine?
How many BTU's in a ton of pine?
How many BTU's in a ton of pine?
- ASea
- Member
- Posts: 1156
- Joined: Thu. Nov. 27, 2014 8:55 pm
- Location: Athol Massachusetts
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Stove: Alaska Kast Console II
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Coal Chubby
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114, Glenwood 30 "Estate" Warm Morning 120
- Coal Size/Type: Sherman Anthracite Nut/Stove from C&T Coal
- Other Heating: Peerless Boiler with Cast Iron Baseboards
Not sure, the idea with an outdoor boiler is you can burn just about any biomass. Though we know Coal is the way to go long term or on the coldest days. Not sure what I want to do or commit to doing.
-
- Site Moderator
- Posts: 11417
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Very true,but not easy to accomplish.
Because bit coal is about one third gas, there must be a good air handling system to properly burn it, or else it goes up in smoke. Like wood a great part of the heat potential is released quickly, which makes it hard to cope with. Tending procedure can of course mitigate the problem.
- LeoinRI
- Member
- Posts: 144
- Joined: Mon. Dec. 24, 2018 5:59 am
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Fonderies de Lion
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: J.S. Peckham Chicago #10, Weso, Our Glenwood 111, Sougland Excelsior 183
According to
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-combustio ... d_372.html
Assuming 65% heat recovery from 1 ton = 2000/2240*14,300,000=12,767,857 btus
Leo
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-combustio ... d_372.html
Assuming 65% heat recovery from 1 ton = 2000/2240*14,300,000=12,767,857 btus
Leo
- mntbugy
- Member
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 23, 2016 2:36 pm
- Location: clearfield,pa
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: D S 1500, Warm Moring 400
- Baseburners & Antiques: Art Garland 145,GW114 ,Clarion 115, Vestal 20 Globe,New Royal22 Globe, Red Cross Oak 56,Acme Ventiduct 38,Radiant Airblast 626,Home Airblast 62,Moores #7,Moores 3way
- Coal Size/Type: stove and nut and some bit
- Other Heating: Propain
Eastern white pine 2125 lbs in a cord.
13.2 million Btu per cord.
13.2 million Btu per cord.
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
How many BTU to get it from the stump thru the fuel loading door?
Assumed sawed, loaded, unloaded, split, stacked, unstacked, unloaded, loaded and moved to door. Och my aching back...
Assumed sawed, loaded, unloaded, split, stacked, unstacked, unloaded, loaded and moved to door. Och my aching back...
- mntbugy
- Member
- Posts: 2046
- Joined: Fri. Dec. 23, 2016 2:36 pm
- Location: clearfield,pa
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: D S 1500, Warm Moring 400
- Baseburners & Antiques: Art Garland 145,GW114 ,Clarion 115, Vestal 20 Globe,New Royal22 Globe, Red Cross Oak 56,Acme Ventiduct 38,Radiant Airblast 626,Home Airblast 62,Moores #7,Moores 3way
- Coal Size/Type: stove and nut and some bit
- Other Heating: Propain
- McGiever
- Member
- Posts: 10130
- Joined: Sun. May. 02, 2010 11:26 pm
- Location: Junction of PA-OH-WV
- Stoker Coal Boiler: AXEMAN-ANDERSON 130 "1959"
- Hand Fed Coal Boiler: BUCKET A DAY water heater
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Warm Morning 414A
- Coal Size/Type: PEA,NUT,STOVE /ANTHRACITE
- Other Heating: Ground Source Heat Pump and some Solar
Maybe just call bio-mass dealer and have a T.T. load of that delivered along with a big load of that adult Kool Aide.